In September 2000, at the United Nations Millennium Summit, the world leaders committed themselves to halve the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015, moreover, at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2002 a goal was set to halve the proportion of people without access to adequate sanitation by the year of 2015.

The International Year of Fresh Water had to mobilize the world to achieve these goals by raising awareness on the problem, creating new ideas and strategies to address it. In this regard, the United Nations planned to conduct a number of activities, the central one was the International Fresh Water Forum (29 August – 1 September 2003, Dushanbe).

The main goal of the Decade was to promote efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water and water-related issues by the year 2015.

These commitments also included the development goals contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, particularly, to halve the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

Another important goal of the Decade was to develop by 2015 plans for integrated water resource management and water-use efficiency in rendering assistance to the developing countries.

Taking into account the growing water problems and acknowledging the partnership as a key factor in the solutions of the problems, on 20 December 2010 the UN General Assembly adopted the Resolution 65/154 by consensus initiated by the Republic of Tajikistan. According to the resolution, the year 2013 was declared as the International Year of Water Cooperation.

Cooperation in the field of water resources plays a crucial role in ensuring security, poverty alleviation, achieving social justice and gender equality. Water cooperation is economically profitable and a determining factor for the conservation of water resources and environmental protection.

As an initiator of the “water” resolutions of the UN General Assembly, the Republic of Tajikistan actively promotes the water related issues on the global agenda.

The Global level actions of the country on water is characterized by the desire to attract more attention of the world community to address water issues and improve water cooperation.